Padfoot's Prodigy
by the1wh0gotaway
Summary: Harry Potter has had a remarkable third year at Hogwarts, but what will his fourth year bring? My take on the fourth book. Read and Review, please.


Takes place after the third book, Scout Blackismy own character. Everything else is JK Rowling's. The first chapter is boring, I know, but I promise it will get better.

* * *

The sky hung onerous, painted in thick coats of omen-gray as Harry watched the landscape slip by rapidly from inside the Hogwarts express, alongside his friends. It was terribly dark out, and his mind bounced from thought to thought, almost dreamlike, though he knew he was awake. 

"Cheer up, Harry," said Ron as he took a bite out of his chocolate covered frog, and fingered through the prize that came with it.

"Archillus Mandible..Hmm, must be a new one. I've never even heard of this one before." he said, no surprise in his voice.

"Oh, that great git," Hermione said, annoyance in her shrilly voice. "He's another proffessor Lockhart, if you ask me."

"Oh please," choked Ron, "You had a fancy for him just as every other girl at school."

She rolled her eyes, she knew she was wrong but would never admit that to either of them.

"Must you two fight?" Harry asked, his head throbbing with pain.

"Geez," said Hermione, "Whats with you today?" she said, though you could tell she was worried.

Harry just shrugged it off and was trying not to concentrate on the pain that wracked his mind. It wasn't his scar, he was almost sure, but his head that ached, and sent tension through his whole body. He thought about everything that went on last year : The Dementors, Buckbeak, and most of all, Sirius.

As soon as the castle began to come into sight, Harry collected all of his belongings, along with Hedwig's empty cage. When Ron and Hermione saw him do this, they did the same. It seemed like forever that the train had finally come to a stop, but finally Harry could get out of that train box that had seemed so crowded to him.

As he stepped off the train, Harry felt a sting of relief as he breathed the fresh air, and the sight of the castle that he would have loved to call home was all but refreshing to him.

"Come along Harry, we'll be late for the sorting!" reamed Hermione as she pulled his scarf in her direction, catching him off guard.

"Ah, I'm coming, I'm coming.." he said, straightening his scarf and getting a better grip on his luggage.

As they walked along the path that would lead them to the ample entrance that would lead them into Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry saw out of the corner of his eye a girl he hadn't seen before looking at him.

She smiled as she noticed he was looking back at her, and waved. Not wanting to be rude, he waved back. 'Why does she look so familiar?' he asked himself, but was pulled again by Hermione. He decided that he would find out later who she was, and for now he would focus on more important things that had to come first.

* * *

As soon as they entered the collossal great hall, they were directed as usual to sit down at the gryffindor table, waiting for new students to be welcomed to their house. Dumbledore winked at Harry as he told everyone to settle down, and welcomed everyone back and announced that the sorting ceremony would take place any moment.

All of the new students were at the front of the giant room, nervous and ready to be put into houses. Harry looked at all of them, when he saw the girl he had noticed before. "She looks a bit old to be a first year," Ron whispered to Harry, and Hermione nodded in agreement.

They watched as proffessor McGonagall placed a three legged stool, in front of the first years, andon top of it was an old, ragged and worn hat, known as "The Sorting hat", and everyone stared at it in silence.

Then, a long tear that resembled a mouth, began to sing. It sang for some time, until it came to a close and everyone broke out in applause.

"That isn't the song it sang when we were sorted,"Harry said, clapping along with everyone else.

"It sings a different one every year," said Fred, who was sitting next to Ron.

"Yes, I suppose it leadsa boring life, every year all it does is make up new songs for different years." said George, who was right next to Fred.

After the song, Proffessor McGonagall pulled outa long scroll, the one Harry had seen his first year at Hogwarts. She then gave out instructions to the students, and then began calling names.

"Ackerley, Stewart!"

A boy came forward, trembling and nervous, and put on the hat.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Harry watched as the boy took off the hat and went to sit down with his new house-mates, and saw Cho, the Ravenclaw seeker, cheeringStewarton. This made himwant togoover andcheer at theRavenclaw table as well.

A few more were placed in houses, most of them going into the Hufflepuff house, and Ravenclaw,and even some into Slytherin, but Griffyndor surprisingly had only got a few more new students, along with Collin Creevey's younger brother, Dennis.

'Joy,' thought Harry. He shuddered to the thought that there would be two Creeveys bouncing about the Gryffindor house.

Then, the girl he had saw before was the only one left, and Harry sat quietly and listened to what the sorting hat had to say about her.

She had short blonde hair, and eyes that were actually more blue than Ron's, and Harry could of swore he saw an evil look to them.Her smirk gavea mischievous look to her. "Black, Scout." Called Proffessor McGonagal, showing some sort of fright or worriedness in her voice, and Harry heard everyone whisper and stare at her, including the teachers.

The girl frowned, but sat patiently and waited to be sorted, on her lips, a frown. "Courage..yes, plenty," it started, "Yes..Cunning..Charm..ah." It stopped, and then began again : "Damaging..mischievous..yet pure of heart.." It stopped again, and looked as if it was confused.

"Where to put you..Ravenclaw..no..Hufflepuff? Oh, no. That justwon't do.. Gryffindor..hmm..Slytherin..better.. but.."

"Just place me already, I'm bored." The girl called Scout thought to herself. The hat had heard her.

"Impatient..the mark of a Slytherin..but there's something different about you..definetly not a slytherin..so.. Gryffindor it must be!"

Everyone at the Gryffindor table clapped as Scout Made her way to the table, and Harry noticed that all of the Slytherin table looked annoyed at the hat's decision, even Malfoy, who now stared at Harry with hate.

'But why?' Harry asked himself. He decided that he would just have to find out for himself.


End file.
